Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

More by Lauren

Bringing chocolate chip cookies to a cookie exchange is a bold move: Everyone’s an expert and you’ll be judged by how special yours are. Not to fear—you won’t go wrong with these! I’ve tinkered with the standard recipe to come up with my ideal: a soft, moist, chewy cookie that’s rich but not greasy, with more than a hint of molasses from a high proportion of brown sugar. Melted butter is the secret to their superior texture, and also lets you bake whenever the mood strikes, since there’s no time spent waiting for the butter to soften up!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Place the butter and sugars in a large bowl and stir together with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and the nuts, if you are using them. Place the bowl in the refrigerator (no need to cover it) to let the dough firm up, for 10 minutes (or up to 6 hours).

Drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. (The dough can be frozen at this point; see “A Step Ahead,” right.)

Bake the cookies until golden around the edges but still soft on top, 9 to 11 minutes. Let the cookies stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove them with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.